


Rise From Hell (On Hold)

by TheFictionGypsy



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV), Vis a Vis | Locked In (Spain TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Crossover, Forgiveness, Heavy Angst, Multi, Partners in Crime, Partnership, Revenge, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:08:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24072715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFictionGypsy/pseuds/TheFictionGypsy
Summary: The Royal Mint Heist was a success and no life was lost. The gang parted their own ways and are now enjoying their riches. But back in Madrid, Inspectora Murillo's life was fucked up in all ways imaginable. Several years after the heist, Raquel Murillo became a completely different person and met an unusual ally. But when the people from her past return, will she be able to forgive and forget?A crossover AU where Raquel Murillo never found out about the coordinates and ended up in prison where she met Zulema Zahir. Together, they will make the world regret they hadn't been a little nicer to them.
Relationships: Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina, Raquel Murillo/Zulema Zahir
Comments: 51
Kudos: 90





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so let me explain haha! Lately, I've been seeing a lot of ItziarxNajwa edits on Instagram and to be honest, I totally ship their partnership. Don't worry this is still a Serquel story but not until a few chapters. This is a concept that just won't shut up in my mind so might as well share it to you. I'm not sure if you guys have also watched Vis a Vis but let me know what you think!

“Hurry up!” Raquel shouted at her mother from across the room. She zipped up her bag when she finished packing her things. She frantically turned around and walked towards Paula who was still crying. She knelt on the ground in front of her daughter and wiped her tears.

“It's okay, baby. Papa can't hurt you anymore. I’m here now.” she assured Paula. She tried to sound strong but her voice broke down remembering the bruise on her daughter's arm.

“But we have to hurry. We have to go.” She picked up her bag and held Paula by the hand. She stopped at her mother’s room to check if she’s ready to go and she was. They practically ran downstairs but before they could reach the living room, the front door busted open revealing a raging Alberto.

“Stay back.” She said motioning for her mother and daughter to wait by the stairs.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Alberto said, glaring at her.

“Alberto, please. You hit our daughter!” she yelled at him.

“Oh is that what she said?” he scoffed. “Would you look at that…like mother, like daughter.” he laughed and marched towards her.

“Stay away from us!” she intended to reach at her waist but realized she had no gun.

“What? Were you going to shoot me with your imaginary gun?”

She opened her mouth to answer back but no words came out. Her legs trembled in fear but she refused to show that once again, she is scared of her ex-husband. She gathered up her courage and tried to stand firm. However, before she could act, the blow came. Alberto punched her in the gut so hard she almost puked. And then came another blow. He pulled her hair so she’s facing him then punched her right in her nose. She fell down. Then came one after the other. He kicked her on her sides, on her stomach and even on her head. She heard her mother and daughter shouting at him to stop.

Marivi couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed a vase and smashed it on his head. She repeatedly hit his back aiming at nothing. She just wanted him to stop hurting her beaten daughter. When the adrenaline she felt worn down, she tried to catch her breath only to be shoved away by Alberto. He pushed the old woman so hard that she tripped on her daughter’s body, who was laying blood-soaked on the floor and hit her head on the marble counter top. Marivi fell down unconscious.

Raquel’s vision went dark. She couldn’t see straight. She couldn't hear anything other than the high-pitched ringing in her ears and her heaving breath. She winced in pain as she felt her ribs crack while trying hard to crawl towards her mother. She carefully lifted her mother’s head.

“Mama!” she called out crying while tapping her mother’s cheek.

“Please wake up! Please!” she cried once more but her mother showed no reaction. She tried to feel her pulse but couldn’t find one. Marivi was dead. She closed her eyes and bent her head down on her mother’s forehead. The ringing in her ears became louder and louder and louder. She tried to cover her ears with both hands desperately trying to make the ringing stop. But suddenly she heard her daughter’s cry. She opened her eyes wide open and looked around for Paula. She saw her at the end of the stairs crying hysterically calling for her.

“I’m coming, Paula.” she whispered in the air. “Mama’s coming, baby. Mama’s coming.”

She shook her head trying to steady her vision but everything’s happening in slow motion. She carefully laid her mother’s head back down and struggled to get up. She heard Alberto shouting at Paula.

“Shut up! Stop crying! Shut up!”

She raised her head and saw Alberto holding her daughter’s head in one hand and shushing her up by putting his hand on her mouth.

“Don’t t- don't touch her.” she said wheezing, choking at her own blood. She stood up and took one step but winced in pain. She coughed and spit out the blood in her mouth. She took one more step but her body failed her. She almost fell with her face flat on the floor. Paula needs her, she thought. She has to get up. And so with little strength left, she stood up again.

When she turned to her daughter, she saw that she had bitten Alberto's hand in an attempt to run away from him but she failed. Alberto pushed her by the stairs and aimed to slap her. Raquel watched the scene in front of her with fear in her eyes and once again, her vision went dark. She moved without thinking. She moved without minding the pain that her body was aching. She grabbed the gun at Alberto’s waist. She pointed it straight at him and took Paula behind her waist. Alberto raised both his hands trying to make sense of her. She was staring at his moving mouth not hearing any word that's being said.

“Drop the gun, Raquel.” he said.

She turned off the safety pin and steadied her finger. But then she heard the police siren coming towards the house. For a moment, she considered dropping the gun.

“It's okay, it's okay. I’ll tell them you didn't mean to kill your mother.” he said.

She unbelievably looked at him. Of course, he would pin her mother’s death on her. Of course, he would lie about hurting her and her daughter. She would once again be accused of something she didn't do because the system is on her ex-husband’s side. It always had been. And so just about the police uniforms busted inside her house, she pulled the trigger- not once, not even twice. But for as long as his gun would let her.

The next thing she knew, her head was being shoved on the floor while she stared at Alberto’s body in a pool of blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure it's a good idea to start another multi-chapter story when I couldn't bring myself to update on my other story but here I am. I can't promise that I can update frequently but I will really really try my best.


	2. Traitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These first few chapters, I'm taking you back to the moments before the chaos.
> 
> Also, I'm updating as much as I can with this story and my other one- Amidst The Chaos (if you haven't ready that one yet please do check it out), because I'm going back to work next week even though the lockdown here was extended until the end of May.

Traitor.

When the Royal Mint heist ended, the people of Spain cheered for the Professor and his gang of thieves. The people were on their side and they were able to create a resistance- in the grandest way possible. But, she was called a traitor. And all she was remembered for was the bitch that chose to save Alison Parker’s life instead of 8 other hostages. She was forced to own up for the whole fiasco of the Madrid police and CNI with Prieto insisting that it was a small price to pay for betraying the system. She was fired from her job and was accused of being incompetent and weak. Some of her ex-colleagues even went as far as branding her as “The Professor’s Whore”. She was constantly bombarded by the paparazzi asking her if she really did have a romantic relationship with the mastermind of the greatest heist in Spain’s history. She wanted to defend herself from them but she couldn’t. Because of all the accusations that were being thrown at her, why did they have to ask about something that was true?

At home, Marivi’s condition worsened. She started experiencing hysteric episodes. Her post-it notes wouldn’t work anymore. There are days that she would find her mother completely out of herself, screaming and looking for her child.

_“Where’s my baby?! Where’s my Raquelita?!”_

By the time she could calm her down, the day had once again ended. Their friendly neighbor, Ana, would sometimes check on them. She was a woman in her mid 50s and a retired nurse. Ana advised her to consider the idea of just putting her mother into a home but she quickly dismissed it. She couldn’t bear losing anyone else. She couldn’t possibly do that to her mother.

When the days are calm inside their home, she couldn’t help but miss her Mama- the one who would put a blanket on her shoulders and hug her when she had a particularly difficult day at work; the one who would make fresh tea in the morning; the one who would consistently tell her to open up her heart for love. She missed her Mama. If only she could turn back time.

After a few months of court battle, Alberto eventually won full custody of Paula together with her pending domestic abuse case against him. All she got was a supervised visit and only- “ _If only_ ”, as the presiding judge emphasized, Alberto would allow her. The court decision was more or less rigid but at her current state- being unemployed and unstable, even she doubted that she could provide for her child. She was close to exhausting all her savings and she couldn’t even bring herself to go out and find a job. And it certainly didn’t help that the media people wouldn’t leave her alone. That day she spent hours looking at herself in the mirror- her mascara smudged from her eyes, tracing down the tears she had shed, her eyes swollen and blood-shot red. That day she fell asleep on the bathroom floor, a bottle of tequila in her hand.

***

It was a particularly quiet night at the Murillo household and she thanked the heavens for it. Marivi retired at her bed early and without any difficulty. She looked at her mother’s serene face and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. She tucked her in the blanket and carefully closed the door as she left. She went downstairs and entered the kitchen. She fetched herself a glass of cheap brandy and downed it at once. She flinched at its disgusting taste but still grabbed the entire bottle and went back upstairs to her room. She stood near the window and carefully lifted the curtain so not to attract the attention of the few paparazzi waiting outside their house. As time passed by, they gradually decreased but she hated those who had the audacity to wait outside their house the most.

“Assholes.” She scoffed and took a swig of her drink. She settled on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She tried to remember, one by one, everything that had happened ever since the heist. It had been 6 months but the pain still hurt like it just happened yesterday. She closed her eyes and sighed when Sergio’s face appeared in her mind. To be honest, she thought he would come back for her; she thought he would take her, her mother and her daughter and they would start over in some far-away paradise- just like they had once planned. The first few days after the heist, she hoped- she desperately hoped that he would come and make everything all right; that he would show up and save her. But he left her. He left her with nothing and took everything she had- her daughter was everything she had.

“How could you do this to me?” she softly whispered.

She thought of how ironic this whole thing had been. She was tagged as a traitor when she was the one betrayed by everyone around her. Prieto betrayed her when the CNI didn’t back her up with that Alison Parker move. The system betrayed her when they refused to punish Alberto for abusing her and instead granted him full custody of her little girl. Sergio betrayed her when he ran away with his millions even when she said she’s with him.

_“I’m with you.”_

She felt the tears slowly build up on her eyes. At the pace of all her adversities, she couldn’t even find the time to cry anymore. She waited for the tears to fall but it didn't happen. She knew she wasn’t sad. She was pained and mad with everyone for turning against her. She was mad at herself for being stupid enough to fall for the Professor when it was clear that he had only used her to his advantage. She let her heart ruled her mind. She believed every single word that came out of his mouth when she should have just surrendered him to the police- or maybe pulled the trigger when she had the chance.

She threw the bottle of brandy with so much fury- sending it flying into the wall, breaking it into pieces. The stench of alcohol slowly filled her room but she didn’t care. She curled up on her bed and wrapped her arms around her legs. She felt a heavy sting on her chest that made it harder to breathe. She wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. And maybe it was for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	3. Raquel's Downfall Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raquel started a new life only to be shattered once more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part went too long so I decided to cut it into two chapters. I will be uploading the next one tomorrow. 
> 
> We are nearing Raquel's downfall, which you already read on the Prologue so I hope you stay with me on this!

She hasn’t seen her daughter for 9 months. Alberto wouldn’t let her see Paula because according to him, she reeked of alcohol and smoke. When she asked if she could at least talk to her on the phone, he denied her, saying she was too unstable that she might say things that could harm the girl emotionally. She became desperate that she went amuck outside Alberto’s house- banging on his door and yelling for Paula. It took her seeing her daughter’s scared face to realize that she needed to pull herself together, at least for her little one.

She finally gathered up enough courage to face the world. She stopped drinking but she didn’t entirely give up smoking. She found a job at a laundry shop. It was a quantum leap from her old job but it helped her pay the bills and put food in their stomachs. She decided she would get herself a good therapist and understood that she needed a decent amount of money for that. So little by little, she started saving again.

The paparazzi eventually stopped following her so now she could walk along the streets of Madrid without anyone trying to pester her. There were still the occasional looks and whispers but at least, no one dared to approach her. When she got home, Ana greeted her.

“How is she?” she asked the woman.

“She’s good. She was quite chatty today.” she chuckled. She reached for her purse to get some money but Ana quickly halted her hand and gave her a knowing look.

“How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to pay me?”

“It keeps me calm knowing I offered.” she replied. “See you tomorrow?”

“Of course.” Ana gave her a tender hug, almost like her mother’s. “My dear…I’m glad you’re both doing better.”

“Me too. One step at a time.” She smiled. It was a genuine one.

She didn’t know when exactly Ana became an essential part of their lives because the past few months were a total blur. But, she was more than grateful for her. She was there for her mother when she couldn’t. She kept the Murillo household going. She felt motherly and somehow that feeling kept her sane. She was their guardian angel.

It was the end of yet another day and she was lying on her bed holding a picture of her and Paula. They were sitting on the front porch of their house and her daughter was hugging her from the back. They looked happy. She smiled sadly at the memory. She put the frame back at the bedside table, when suddenly her phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw it was Alberto. Her first thought was something must’ve happened to Paula so she answered the call frantically.

“Good evening, Raquel.” he greeted.

“What happened to Paula?” she asked immediately and abruptly sat on her bed.

“Nothing. She’s already sleeping.” He replied and she sighed in relief. “I just called to say that you can visit her tomorrow.” He said and she gasped, putting a hand on her mouth. It took her a few seconds to register what he had said.

“Really?”

“Of course. You’re her mother, after all.” And he hung up on her before she could even respond.

She couldn’t believe what just happened. She stared at the phone and wondered what made him change his mind. She shook her head and decided that it wasn’t important for now. She jumped in happiness and ran to her mother’s room to share the good news but when she opened the door, she was already fast asleep. She’d just tell her tomorrow when they have breakfast.

  
  
***

Marivi was very delighted when she shared the news the next morning. Ever since she started anew, she noticed that her mother’s episodes became less and less. She never realized how much her situation and her attitude had greatly affected her too. Although she was still constantly forgetful, at least everything has calmed down.

After breakfast, she went upstairs to get dressed. She called her colleague Carla, who was on a day off, to very kindly ask to cover for her shift today because she finally got a schedule with her daughter. Carla agreed and was more than happy for her. She said her thanks and bid her goodbye. She held the phone on her chest and took a deep breath. She never became fully aware of how there were so many kind and simple people around her until now. She spent her entire life around the competitive and arrogant beasts at the force- those who would enthusiastically swallow anyone who would show any weakness.

“You can do this.” She whispered to herself. She felt nervous but at the same time, her heart leaped in joy. At last, she will see her daughter.

She stood a good ten minutes outside Alberto’s house before knocking. She remembered the last time she was here and witnessed Paula’s fear at her own mother. She wondered if she felt the same. Her head was a mess of what ifs that she got startled when the front door opened. Alberto stared at her with a demeaning look but stepped aside to let her in. He ushered her into the kitchen and just completely stared at her. She didn’t want to admit it but she felt scared- she felt belittled. She knew one incorrect word and this could all go wrong. Finally, he smirked in contempt, almost as if to ridicule her.

“You know, me and your sister got into a nasty fight last night.” He started and stepped closer to her.

“Why are you telling me that?” she tried to look and sound unbothered thinking this could be one of his tricks to provoke her and she wouldn't let him.

“No reason.” He walked around and stood closely right behind her that she could feel his breath on her nape. She shivered but she couldn’t move because she was right in front of the kitchen counter. She tried to find her voice but her throat went dry.

“She spent the night away and…hearing your voice last night made me think of the good old days.” He kissed her on the side of her neck so she turned around and pushed him away.

“Alberto, stop!” she pushed him again in an attempt to free herself from her position but he forcefully grabbed her by the arm. Suddenly, it felt all too familiar.

“I’m sorry? What did you just say?” he spat his words out and looked unwilling to let go of her arm.

“I said stop! Aren't you ashamed of yourself?!” This was it. She knew there was no good that could come out from this monster. And he had the insolence to use her daughter to lure her into his dirty trap and she fell- she fell badly.

“Listen, bitch. You are in no position to lecture me. Do you understand?” he snatched a fistful of her hair and violently tugged it sending her head backwards.

“Y-yes.” She whimpered in pain, her breathing becoming erratic.

“Good. So if you want to keep seeing your daughter, you will do as I say. And you’re gonna keep quiet. Do I make myself clear?” he hissed at her ear.

“Alberto, please. Enough.” She said in a soft inaudible cry.

“Do I make myself clear?!” he repeated, yanking her hair more.

“Yes! Y-yes.” She unwillingly gave up. She felt his grip loosened its hold on her hair but she winced when he licked her from her neck to her ear.

“Papa? Is Mama here yet?” She heard Paula coming down the stairs and he finally let go of his grasp. She quickly fixed herself and put on a happy façade for when she sees her daughter.

“I expect that you will be more cooperative next time.” He whispered before stepping away from her.

“Now go see your daughter.” And just like that, Alberto splashed a pail of water on the tiny ember that was left burning inside her heart and he killed it.

It went on for weeks and she felt more and more weightless and numb every time she would walk out his front door. She was supposed to be happy. She could be with her daughter again; she was supposed to feel happy. But then again, she was supposed to start her life over too and her neck trapped from Alberto’s hands was not how she envisioned her new life, and especially not him in the middle of her thighs.

She tried to fight but it cost her months of not seeing Paula again so she stopped fighting. Instead, she let Alberto’s words embedded inside her brain as he called her trash and worthless. Her emotion was put into paralysis because she understood now that feeling would be dangerous. And all that was left to do was to enable darkness consume every corner of her existence.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	4. Raquel's Downfall Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally forgot that I have another chapter to post

She woke up at the sound of knocking at her door. She tried to ignore it by putting a pillow on top of her head but Ana was very consistent and it didn’t really work so she faintly opened her eyes. She forced herself to get up and practically dragged her feet to answer it. When she opened the door, the sight of her mother smiling sweetly welcomed her. She was astonished to see her Mama standing in front of her, looking almost like before.

“I prepared our morning tea and some toast. Let’s go down?”

She pursed her lips and nodded at her. She felt a tightening on her throat so she took a short breath to prevent herself from crying. She sniffed discretely and smiled at her mother. She pulled her into a tight hug and cherished every second of it. Her mother pulled away and confusingly looked at her.

“Are you okay, Mija? You look tired.”

“I’m fine, Mama.” She responded and hugged her again. “Oh, I missed you so much.” Her mother caressed her back in a soothing motion and she sighed at the feeling.

“There, there. Now why don’t you fix yourself a little and head downstairs, okay?” she pressed a long kiss on her forehead and then descended to the kitchen.

She looked at herself in the mirror and was certain that she was looking at a completely different person. The woman on the reflection wasn’t the Raquel Murillo she knew. Her cheekbones were sunken, her skin was dried and pale, her eyes were dimmed and lifeless. Her mother was right. She did look tired. She splashed some cold water on her face to feel a bit more awake. She remembered how good her mother looked a while ago and for the first time in a long while, she hoped today would be less dreadful than her every day life.

She had a pleasant breakfast with her Mama. Laughter seemed so anonymous on her life nowadays that she forgot how good it felt. She ascended back at her room and went back to bed. She picked up the remote and turned on the television. When she passed by the news channel, she was both surprised and baffled to see her face on the screen. She read the headline and it turned out that it had exactly been one year since the Royal Mint heist. She was about to turn it off when suddenly, something clicked in her mind.

She looked at the cabinet at the corner of her room and stared at it for a few seconds. She approached it while trying to pin point what was it that she remembered. She opened it and scanned through her clothes. Finally, she looked up and noticed something poking out at the side of the top shelf. She pulled it out and that’s when it hit her. It was the postcards that Sergio gave her just before she discovered who he really was. She looked at it one by one and sighed at the memory.

_“And of course who could ever forget? The greatest twist of the story- Former Inspectora Raquel Murillo, whom we all know got herself romantically involved with the mastermind that was the Professor and eventually, helped them escaped.”_ The TV host said from the screen. She sneered at the host’s commentary and put the postcards back from where they were and closed her cabinet. She wanted to hear none of it so she walked back onto her bed, grabbed the remote control, and turned off the damn TV.

***

She was smoking by the window, gazing at the night sky when her cellphone vibrated from her pocket. It was her sister, Laura. She frowned and wondered at the sudden call. She hasn’t communicated with her for a very long time and she had no intention of calling a truce. She answered the call feeling a little suspicious because nothing good could possibly come from that house. She refused to speak first so she waited for Laura to do so.

“Hey. So uhm, Alberto went out and Paula wouldn't stop crying. She wants to see you. Can you please just come here?” she said in an anxious tone.

“Can you tell me what happened? Why is she crying?” she asked and put her cigarette out.

“Just come here please.” She heard the urgency in her sister’s voice and it made her tense.

She double-checked if her mother was already asleep before leaving. She thought of texting Ana but decided otherwise. The lady might already be resting too and besides, she won’t be gone for long, she was only going to check on Paula. She put on her coat and securely locked the front door. She unlocked her car, went inside and drove off. When she got to Alberto’s house, she immediately rang the doorbell. Laura answered the door looking worried. She promptly stepped aside to let her in.

“She’s on her room. I managed to calm her down but she’s still looking for you.” she said as they made their way upstairs.

“Where’s Alberto? You didn't call him?” she faced her and asked doubtfully but tried to keep a straight face. She waited for her to answer but when she heard Paula crying from her room she turned around and opened the door. She saw her daughter looked up in an instant and when she realized it was her Mama, she jumped of her bed and ran towards her.

“Mama!” Paula cried as she went in for a hug. She wrapped her arms tightly around her little girl and kissed the top of her head. She picked her up, not breaking their hug and turned to her younger sibling.

“Can you give us a moment, please?” she asked with a hint of concern. Her sister nodded and closed the door behind them. When they were left alone, she let out a deep sigh. It was nice to be with her daughter without the prying eyes of Alberto. She walked towards the small bed and put her daughter down. She fixed the hair that fell in front of her face and lifted her chin up.

“What’s wrong, baby?” she asked in a comforting tone. Her daughter wouldn’t look at her in the eyes so she caressed her face and asked again. Paula raised her head and looked at her with a troubled face. She suddenly felt agitated as if the muscles on her chest violently spasmed. Silent tears escaped from her daughter’s eyes and she frowned in panic. She didn’t know what was wrong and she was scared.

“Mamá, please take me home with you. I miss you.” Paula pleaded and she sighed.

“Oh cariño, I want to. Trust me, I really want to but you know I can't do that. You're Papá might get mad and then he wouldn’t let me see you again for a long time.” She tried to explain the pattern of their situation.

“But Mamá please! I miss you so much. And I want to hug abuela.” She wiped the tears from her innocent face.

“Grandma and I miss you so much too. But I can’t just take you. We have to ask permission from your Papá first, okay? I promise I’ll see what I can do.”

“No! Don’t tell Papá I cried.” Paula held both of her hands.

“Why?” she asked, surprised by her daughter’s reaction.

“Because he doesn’t like it when I cry. And I want to be strong like you.”

“You’re allowed to cry, cariño. It’s okay to cry if you feel sad that you’re missing me and abuela.” She assured her while caressing her hair.

“But you don’t cry. Even when he hurt you.” Paula whispered and she looked at the little girl with wide eyes. She couldn’t possibly know about that. She wasn’t supposed to know about that.

“What?” she asked trying to stay calm. “What do you mean?” she pried further.

“I saw him hurting you, Mamá. And you didn't cry.” The girl confessed, avoiding eye contact.

She heaved and struggled for air at the revelation. She stood up and paced back and forth. She could hear the rapid beating of her heart and she wanted it silent so she could think properly. Her daughter asked her what she was doing but she was too focused on controlling her breathing. This wasn’t the time to panic.

“I also try not to cry Mamá but sometimes I can’t help it and when I do, Papá would get even more mad.” Paula said without taking a breath and she halted her movements.

She was extremely alarmed by the words that just came out of her daughter’s mouth that her instincts as a mother and as a police officer kicked in and she scanned her daughter’s face and body. When she brushed her hands down on her arms, Paula winced. She felt the blood throbbed through her nerves. She quickly pulled up her left sleeve and sighed in relief when she saw it was clean. She then touched the end of her right sleeve and she saw her winced again. Her hands trembled in fear and she wasn’t even aware that there were tears already falling from her eyes. She slowly lifted up the sleeve and that’s when she saw it- a huge mark of black and purple on her skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated!


	5. Cruz Del Norte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter follows what happened on the Prologue chapter. And also, please read note at the beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here are a few things to be considered before reading this chapter and also moving forward with this story:
> 
> 1\. The setting at Cruz del Norte is years after the riot on Season 4.
> 
> 2\. Antonio Palacios is the director of the facility but he is the same soft man from all those seasons so we will see how Raquel and Zulema would try to take advantage of that.
> 
> 3\. Most of the inmates we have come to know and love had already served their sentences and were already out of prison for the reason that I want to focus on building Raquel and Zulema's relationship.
> 
> 4\. Saray might be mentioned here and there but will definitely NOT make an appearance in this story because I want Alba Flores as Nairobi hahaha
> 
> Just those thoughts for now but I might add more as I continue writing. Enjoy reading!

Her brain couldn’t keep up with everything that just happened. One moment she was packing up her things and then she was fighting with Alberto, and then she was clutching her mother’s lifeless body, then gunshots. She gasped in shock as her mother’s death finally sunk in. How could this happen just as they were starting over? She tried to budge from the officer’s hold on her but her body was fully constrained. Her head was roughly shoved on the floor and she was starting to have difficulty breathing.

“Paula.” she whispered as she struggled for air. She used the remaining energy left in her to shift from position and look around for her daughter but the pressure on her head brutally intensified. There wasn’t even room for her face to wince in pain.

“Raquel?! Marivi?!” she heard a panicked scream from outside the house.

“Ma’am, you can’t be in here! This is a crime scene!” she heard another voice yelled.

“I know them, please! Raquel?! Marivi?! It’s Ana! Please señor, let me through!” Ana continued her screams of plea.

“Somebody take her away!” an officer eventually ordered.

She was aggressively pulled up from the floor and she swore she just heard a bone snapped inside of her. However, she felt numb as her mind concentrated on finding out where Paula was. As she agitatedly glanced around the room for her daughter, she saw nothing else but blood- not a sign of her daughter in sight.

“Where’s my daughter?” she said in a groggy voice but no one seemed to have heard her. An officer approached and read her rights but she couldn’t take in any word. She was hearing Paula’s voice in her head, crying and calling for her.

“Where is my daughter!” she yelled and heart started beating in an abnormally rapid rate.

“She’s in police custody.” the officer responded and pushed her towards the front door.

As soon as she stepped out of the house, the lights coming from the police cars blinded her sight that she didn’t realize Ana was rushing towards her. The old woman managed to get past the police officers and grabbed her in a tight hug, which she couldn’t return since she was handcuffed.

“What happened?! Your mother! Raquel, look at me! What happened?!” Ana was crying hysterically, pointing at the ambulance and then grabbing her face- forcing her to look at the old woman. She stared deeply into her guardian angel’s eyes as she tried to find the words to say.

“I didn’t kill her.” She answered in a defeated voice. Ana wiped the tears she didn’t know fell from her eyes but before both of them could react, a couple of officers were marching at their direction, coming for the old woman.

As Ana was being pulled away from her, she heard her mumble words of comfort like _“Everything’s gonna be okay.”_ and _“I’ll look her help.”_ However, she wasn’t sure if it was only a product of her baffled mind or not, but she also heard her say, _“I’ll get your daughter back.”_

_5 weeks later_

Raquel was fast asleep- her head leaning on the metal grid of the window when she felt somebody poked her arm repeatedly. She slowly opened her eyes and straightened her back and then stretched her neck. She took a deep breath to relax her nerves. She had been feeling exhausted for the past several weeks.

“About time you wake up, sleeping beauty. Stand up now.” The lady officer in-charged of her transfer ordered in a mocking tone.

She gave the woman a displeased smile and nodded. She felt her muscles fatigued with each movement she made. She was sitting at the extreme end of the bus, which she clearly regret now that she had to walk along the aisle with her numb feet. She should’ve sat at one of the first few seats available in front.

As she stepped out of the rusty bus, the humid air hit her face. She looked around for any sign as to where exactly in Spain she was right now because she never bothered to ask anyone. And if they ever told her where she would be brought, she didn’t care enough to remember. She had visited a few prison facilities during her early times at the force but she wasn’t familiar with this one.

“Cruz del Norte.” She muttered as she read the old paint written at the top of the building. She exhaled a breath and started walking towards her new home.

***

“Zulema.”

The black-haired woman was lying comfortably on her bed when another inmate named Goya interrupted her peace and quiet. She slowly opened her eyes and threw a glance at the woman standing at their cell door. She nodded at once signaling for her to start speaking.

“I heard from one of the guards were going to have a new cellmate.” Goya informed her as she stepped inside their cell. Zulema snorted.

“You disturbed my nap just to tell me that?” she replied as she half-laughed in disbelief.

“Well, it has been a long time since we had a newbie on our cell.” Goya replied, which made Zulema sat up. She raised her left leg and set her elbow on her knee. She gave Goya a knowing look.

“And are you going to do something about it?” she smirked, remembering the time when she was the new inmate on this very cell. It ended up bloody on Goya’s part.

“Hell no.” Goya immediately dismissed the thought. “I couldn't afford any more misbehavior. I’m going out in a few months.” She said as she sat down on the lower bunk bed across Zulema’s- who was on the upper bunk.

“I suggest you do the same. Stop getting yourself on solitary. When I get out of here, I’m another familiar face you’d fucking miss. How much more time do you have?”

“None of your business.” She sneered and went back to lying down. She stared at the ceiling, her mind going out of nowhere.

Ever since Saray got out, she started keeping her business to herself. She trusted no one else inside of this hellhole other than her gypsy. She never really cared about what other people thought she was getting herself into. If Palacios is true to his words, she’d be getting out of here sooner than all of them thought and when that happens- to hell with them.

***

Raquel was taken to the admission area where a grumpy old woman, whose uniform said “H. Alvarez”, processed her papers. If she assumed correctly, this would take for about 3-4 hours. No wonder the old woman snapped at whoever tried to talk to her. She sat at the chair in front of Alvarez’s table and looked at her cuffed hand. It was starting to mark on her wrists.

“Double murder, huh. Mother and ex-husband? Did they have an affair when you divorced the poor guy?” Alvarez snorted and laughed at her own remark. She slowly turned her head to the grumpy old woman and glared at her.

“I didn’t kill my mother.” she gritted her teeth and replied in a serious tone. Alvarez scoffed at her but remained silent again for the entire time she processed her papers.

After her photograph was taken, she was escorted to a secluded area where she knew she would be strip-searched to assure she has no contraband of some sort. She was then given the opportunity to take a shower and was given her yellow prison clothes to wear. She was escorted again and was asked to wait a few more moments inside a holding cell.

“You’re allowed to make a five-minute phone call before entering the actual cell facility.” An officer was nice enough to remind her.

“Thank you.” She replied and went for the phone. She’s dying to talk to Paula so she dialed Laura’s phone number. After several rings, her sister answered.

“Raquel.”

“Let me talk to Paula.” she said straight to the point, not wanting to waste her 5 minutes.

“What do you mean? She’s not with me, remember?” Laura said in an irritated tone.

“What the hell are you saying?” she frowned in confusion.

“You entrusted my niece to a relative I wasn’t even aware we had! Ana? Remember? She said she was Mama’s sister! How come I didn’t know Mama had a sister and you do, huh? And you listed her as Paula’s only guardian? What the hell, Raquel?” Laura screamed through the telephone, which rendered her more and more confused. Ana? Mama’s sister? Paula’s guardian? There were so many questions in her head but she didn't have enough time to process them all at this very moment.

“What did Ana tell you?” she asked Laura.

“That she’s taking Paula! She showed a bunch of documents to child services! God I’ve never felt so humiliated in my entire life! Even with you gone, you still managed to create chaos! Never call me again!” her sister shouted then hung up on her.

She shut her eyes closed in an attempt to digest all of the information she had learned just now. Her heart pounded so fast she didn’t hear the officer calling at her to hang up the phone at once.

Paula is with Ana. She repeated in her head. She should be relieved knowing how kind and caring Ana is, having experienced it firsthand, but what was all with the documents and her being Mama’s sister? Because she’s one hundred percent sure she was not who she said she was to Laura. Marivi didn’t even know whom Ana was when she first showed up to their house and it definitely wasn’t because of her sickness.

“Come on, Murillo. I’ll bring you to your cell.” the nice officer interrupted her thoughts. She collected herself as she approached the officer and they exited the holding cell. She was led to a gate and at the officer’s signal, it slowly opened. She walked inside and gripped the white container that held all of her things. She kept her head high as the other inmates called her attention with nasty words and gestures but she couldn’t be bothered- her mind entirely focused on one important question.

Who the fuck is Ana?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am open for suggestions and scenes you would like to see unfold on this story so let me know what you guys are thinking!
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	6. Enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing has been slightly elusive to me but I’m trying :(

  
“Raquel Murillo. Unit 3 Cell Block 234.” Zulema heard a prison guard announced so she lifted her head up from the pillow and watched as the metal door of their cell slid open.

A woman with a messy golden brown hair walked inside in slow steps, as if taking her time to digest the fact that her life was now officially fucked up. The guard gave her a few reminders about the schedules and then left, tapping his key card to close the gate. The woman eyed the unoccupied bed underneath hers and when she approached it, Zulema threw a provocative smirk to Goya- challenging the dyke to call the newbie out for occupying her bed. Goya seemed to take it and nodded. Knowing this wouldn’t be a harmful welcome, she grinned, lying down on her side with one hand supporting her head.

“Oy! Get your ass off my bed.” Goya started in a commanding voice.

“It’s empty.” Raquel, as the guard mentioned, replied in a low voice, it almost sounded like a whisper. Zulema raised one eyebrow. Raquel actually had the gut to respond. She was suddenly reminded of her first night on this very cell. Goya said the exact same thing to her- the only difference was that she followed.

“If you want to sleep, take the floor.” Goya continued. As Zulema waited for the golden-haired to answer, silence filled the room. A few seconds had passed yet Raquel remained sitting still, so Goya stood up from her actual bed and spat out the thin piece of wood she was just nibbling from her mouth.

“I said, that’s my bed.” Goya insisted and slightly advanced towards the other woman. However to their surprise, the woman stood up belligerently, her nose just an inch away from Goya’s. Zulema watched as Goya’s one foot suddenly stepped backward while keeping her expression unfazed.

“And I said, it’s empty.” Raquel hit back, clenching her teeth at each word they could almost feel the gravity of her kept anger.

Zulema observed the scene from the top bunk and caught Goya’s sight, gesturing for her to back off completely. As Goya raised both of her hands in surrender and walked away, Raquel turned around and looked up at her, throwing her a fixed intense gaze that effectively took her aback. But Zulema didn’t let herself flinch, unwilling to be the first one to blink. Her eyes were a light hue of brown but she could see an all too familiar darkness building from deep within her soul. When they heard their cell gate opened again, Raquel broke her gaze and turned her attention at the prison guard who just entered. Zulema fetched her yellow uniform and fixed herself.

“Zulema. Come with me.” The guard announced. She jumped from her bed and landed right in front of Raquel. Now that they are face-to-face, she finally noticed the exhaustion that was painted on her face. She had dark circles under her eyes and some healed scratches on her cheeks. She had wrinkles on her forehead and the lines just beside her eyes became visible. She leaned in a little closer that she could feel Raquel’s warm breath on her face. She smirked as she saw a tiny hole on the side of her nose and assumed she used to have a piercing. Her skin looked dry. But her eyes, they were so fiercely golden brown.

“Zulema!” the guard yelled at her so she moved away and turned around. There will be plenty of time to analyze this woman, she thought. Before then, it was time for her meeting with the director.

***

Raquel crawled at the most corner area of her bed. She wrapped her arms around her legs and sighed. Not even twenty-four hours had passed and she already had nearly caught herself trouble. Although a stare-off with the woman who had an overly thick eyeliner and a tear tattoo on her face wasn’t exactly a trouble compared to what she had almost engaged in with the other inmate- still, of all people, she knew better not to wage nor even provoke a fight with dangerous criminals. Only, she is one of them now. To survive inside this hellhole, she must show these people that she wasn’t someone to mess with. Right now, being left alone should be her utmost priority. So the plan should be: number one- observe; number two- analyze; and then number three- engage. 

Suddenly her thoughts brought her back to the black-haired woman- Zulema, as the guard called her. She frowned as she remembered the way Zulema looked at her. It was as if she was seeing right through her. She has to be extremely careful with that one. And then there’s still Ana.

How could a sweet old lady like her- so gentle and motherly, have fake documents of her family readily lying around? She closed her eyes and tried to think carefully the very first time Ana approached them. Could there be something she missed? She was too occupied by her own life’s mess that she became careless of the people around her. Maybe her former colleagues were right. Maybe she was indeed an incompetent police officer for welcoming a possibly dangerous woman into their home. And now that woman had her daughter. Feeling a lump building up in her throat, she opened her eyes and swallowed the urge to cry. She touched her chest and felt the beating of her heart in an attempt to find some clarity. However, the feeling left her more utterly confused because something in her heart tells her to let go of her doubts and trust Ana.

“Who are you?” she whispered.

“Goya.” a voice answered. She blinked feeling puzzled and looked at the woman lying down on the bed opposite hers. When she realized that the woman had mistakenly thought that the question was directed at her and was actually answering, she made a mental note to refrain from saying her thoughts out in the open.

“Raquel.” She nodded and replied, trying to be polite.

“About a while ago, it was only an initiation. We do things like that in here. Lucky for you, I’m on a good behavior streak while Zulema couldn’t be bothered.” Goya explained while scratching her abdomen.

“Okay.” She replied trying to sound uninvolved.

“Just an advice. It’s good that you look like you’re ready to fight anytime, but you better be careful with that attitude. It might get you into more trouble.”

“Thanks but I know how to handle myself.” She defended herself, speaking more words than she ought to intend. It seemed like being uninvolved wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be.

“Obviously not. Cause if you actually do know how to handle yourself, then you wouldn’t be locked up in here.” Goya said it as a matter of fact.

She opened her mouth to respond again but no words came out. She tried to convince herself that she shouldn’t take anybody here seriously especially when it comes to life advices but, what Goya said was like being splashed with ice cold water in the face. 

What does she know about her own mind? What does she know about the only person she trusted outside? What does she know about the things she was capable of doing? Looking around her cell, the answer was painfully obvious- she knew nothing.

***

“Come in.” a voice from inside the room announced. Zulema was ushered inside Palacio’s office and she sat down on one of the chairs in front of his desk. The chairs actually have a cushion. Out of all the prison directors that Zulema had encountered, Antonio Palacios was the one and only person to make an office looked comfortable and almost homely. The irony of it all made Zulema snort in sarcasm.

“What?” Palacios asked while frowning but she just shrugged. She watched as the director filed away some papers into a stack and then brought out a folder that has her name written on the side.

“Your cooperation with the police operation two weeks ago was highly recognized by the inspector in charge. Especially with the valuable intel that you provided them, I was able to negotiate another reduction to your sentence. And with that, I am glad to announce to you that you only have 3 years left to serve.” Palacios spoke with a smile on his face. However, Zulema wasn’t so happy about the news.

“3 years?” She deliriously laughed. “Our agreement was to reduce it down to 1 year.” She said, her eyes glaring with anger and frustration this time.

“Zulema, you know it’s not always up to me.” Palacios explained and let out an exasperated sigh.

“I already lost count on how many times I’ve helped the police, all of them were a success by the way.” Zulema stomped her right fist on the table, which made Palacios leaned back on his chair and fixed his glasses.

“Calm down, ple-” He tried to control her but he was cut off by her series of accusations.

“Or are you actually keeping me here so I could provide and provide and provide but you have never- not even once, kept your word on what we’ve agreed on.” she continued.

“I hope you don’t forget that you’re still an inmate. No matter how valuable you are to police operations, you have fucked with them for countless of times too. You are still a criminal. Don’t make me treat you like one.” Palacios said seriously as he regained his composure.

“And I hope you don’t forget what happened to Sandoval for treating me like shit.” She leaned forward while pointing a finger at him.

“Don’t threaten me or I might have to recant my decision about your sentence reduction.” He retaliated and finally hit a nerve. Zulema stared at him for a moment but then eventually calmed down. She leaned back on the chair and laughed again.

“Look, you’ve worked hard to lessen your sentence and in just 3 years, you are going to be a free woman. Don't waste it.”

Zulema rose from her seat and was about to leave when Palacios spoke again.

“A representative from Central Nacional de Intelligencia scheduled a briefing with me next week. I have a feeling this has something to do with Raquel Murillo.” Zulema halted and looked at him in surprise.

“The new inmate?” she asked in confirmation and he nodded.

“I assigned her to your cell. Keep an eye on her. If they ask for inside help, I’ll recommend you. Considering CNI is a high-profile government agency, maybe I could endorse a good deal for you.” She nodded at the information. If a high-profiled intelligence agency is involved, this woman must know something important. 

The intensity of her golden brown eyes appeared in her mind and for a moment, she wondered if it’s the right decision to get involved. There was fire in her eyes. A raging fire and it’s possible she wasn’t even aware of it yet. But she knew that look all too well for she used to have that look, and it was madness waiting to explode.

  
But for her freedom, she will not hesitate to step on that fire.

***

One whole week had passed and Raquel still had no news about her daughter or Ana. She couldn’t contact her sister anymore because it seemed like she changed her number so eventually, she gave up trying.

She kept to herself the whole week. She didn’t talk to anyone during her shift at the laundry room. She stayed at the corner outside during leisure hours. She ate her meal alone even though a young woman named Rizos kept approaching her. And she mostly stayed in bed, lost in her own thoughts.

She was filing in her head the information she had obtained through observing and listening to the other inmates’ conversations. Tere was the thin one who used to be a drug addict. Luna was the transgender who also used to be a drug addict. Rizos was the friendly lady who kept asking her to be her girlfriend. Antonia was the cook who was given the pardon only to be put back inside. Pruden was the mother figure who was always with Rizos and Antonia and who also kept wondering what a certain Saray is doing right now. She already knew Goya but the amount of sex she has inside their cell was something she wanted to erase in her mind. And then there’s Zulema. Every day, she watched how most of the inmates step out of the way whenever the black-haired woman passes by.

The laundry room was becoming her source of information about that woman. The three other inmates constantly talked in whispers during their shift about her and what happened at “the last riot”. One time while she was folding the clothes, she heard someone addressed her as “El Elfo Del Puto Infierno”. Hearing the fear on the inmate’s voice as she said it made her shiver as well. They also talked about how many times she had escaped prison with Saray and another new name, Macarena and also how the death of a woman named Fatima changed her for good. The other day they gossiped about the “last riot” that killed Sandoval. Apparently he was chased and was stabbed one by one by the inmates that time. And of course, it was Zulema who led the chase.

She processed all those information and decided it was time to engage with the other inmates. While inside her head, she put Zulema inside a box, closed it and labeled it with a “Beware”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated


	7. Ally or Opponent?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oro = Gold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I actually made a Raquel Murillo stan twitter account of out boredom so if you have time, follow me @TheFictionGypsy. I posted some photo inspiration there and I will be posting more!
> 
> Enjoy reading!

Raquel was walking quickly- in striding steps from the common bathroom to the laundry area because she was running late and she didn’t want to break her good behavior streak with the prison management. She knew she had to work on a good image with the director and his deputies in case she needed to ask for a special consideration or better yet, a special favor. She always reported to her duties on time, worked extra hours for more credits and most especially, avoided participating in any commotion that she had seen transpired since her appearance here. But unfortunately, it was only a matter of time until somebody bashed shoulders with her. This morning at the shower area, a group of Chinese inmates decided to use her and her batch mates’ time in bathing. She almost acted in protest when she caught Zulema’s reflection from the mirror, looking at her and then shaking her head as if asking her to stay put, which she did. It didn't help that her batch mates didn’t say anything else either.

“Just use half of my time. I’ll make it quick.” Rizos approached her and then offered. She nodded and then thanked her.

She was panting when she got to the laundry area. She was ready to apologize to the others but when she got there; there was no single soul. She frowned in confusion while controlling her breath. She looked around and saw the mountain of dirty clothes from the hamper. Where were those chatterboxes? She wondered if she had mistakenly looked at the time and if she in fact was quite early from her shift.

“You’re late.” She turned around from where the voice came from and alas, standing behind her were the Chinese. She squinted her eyes at the woman standing at the center front, who obviously was the leader.

“I wonder whose fault is that.” She said in response and slightly tilted her head sideways.

But they just smirked- all four of them. They did it all at the same time she felt some shivers ran down her arms. They started talking in Chinese and then started laughing. They stepped forward but she remained on her feet, not letting herself be intimated. However when she looked at them one by one, she realized she should’ve kept her mouth shut. She was being surrounded. They moved one step closer to her and she knew she needed to think fast. She raised both of her hands and took a step back.

“Look. I don’t want any trouble. I just want to get my work done.” She said in a measured tone.

“Well you should’ve come early. Because we don’t tolerate tardiness.” The leader said. She felt movements behind her but before she could react, her vision went black.

One of them put a pillowcase over her head and she felt a string being tied around her neck. She scratched the cloth with her nails in an attempt to loosen it up but she failed. She couldn’t breathe. The more she struggled for air, the tighter the cloth closed in on her face. She felt for the string around her neck but someone pulled it back tighter. She felt her knees buckled. She was about to faint when suddenly the string loosened up so she immediately unwrapped it and hastily removed the cloth from her head.

She held her neck and gasped for air. She was wheezing and her throat ached from forcefully drawing her breath. She coughed violently that there were already tears forming on her eyes. When her blurred vision slowly became clearer, she saw a figure brawling with four other figures. She shook her head and closed her eyes firmly and then tried to focus her sight. It was Zulema.

  
The black-haired held one of the Chinese by the neck and then threw its body to the other. She punched the leader hard that they both fell on the ground. Raquel watched her fight with wide eyes until her peripheral vision caught something flicker. She looked for it and saw one of the Chinese holding a sharp metal and was aiming to stab Zulema on the back. Her instincts finally kicked in so she grabbed whatever her hands could find and jumped on the inmate who had the knife and smacked her with all the force she could muster. All attention turned to her. Of all the things she could grab, it had to be a detergent powder.

She heard Zulema let out a small laugh so she looked at her in panic. The one with the knife managed to recover from her hit and aimed towards her. She managed to dodge the attack on time. Now that she had regained her senses, she positioned her body in a fighting stance. She saw Zulema stood up and slowly positioned behind her.

All of them got back on their feet. Raquel and Zulema were standing back to back- two opponents for her, two opponents for Zulema. The Chinese suddenly had small knives on their hands, ready to attack. One of them shouted something in their language and just as she expected, they charged at them. She silently thanked the heavens for her vast experience in hand-to-hand combat. She understood easily every move that her opponents were about to make- especially if the movements were unmethodical and uncalculated. She flanked smoothly and blew hits at the right time, and at the right body parts.

Her senses were so keen and sharp that it didn’t miss her attention when she heard footsteps approaching towards the room. She knew it had to be the guards. She pushed her injured opponents away and grabbed Zulema’s arm pulling her down with her, rendering the black-haired confused. By the time the guards entered, both of them were kneeling down with their arms behind their heads, surrounded by four other inmates holding knives.

“What the fuck is going on here?” one of the guards shouted.

“Please! Help us we didn't do anything!” Raquel faked a cry.

“On your knees!!” the guards shouted upon seeing the weapons. “Confiscate the weapons and put them on solitary!” another one shouted. As the guards escorted the Chinese outside the laundry room, someone approached and knelt in front of her.

“Hey, are you hurt?” he asked while touching her chin. She looked at him with tears on her eyes and shook her head.

“Jesus what happened to your neck?” he asked upon seeing the red mark.

“They covered my head with a pillowcase and tied it around my neck.” She said sniffing and pretending to choke on her own tears.

“Hey calm down. I’m sorry for what happened. I’m Director Palacios and I will personally see to it that you get treated, okay?” he said. With his face so close to hers she examined his features and thought he reminded her of someone. He touched her by the arms and made her stand up. He offered a hand at Zulema but she ignored the gesture and stood up by herself.

“I will escort you both to the infirmary. Let’s get you treated.” He said. As they walked with Palacios, she looked at him intently and observed his gesture, his tone and his face. Finally, something clicked. He reminded her of Ángel- Ángel Rubio. The softness of his voice when talking to her; the unsought touches she knew all to well; So if her guts would lend her right, she might just take this similarity to her advantage.

***

The nurse left them lying down on the bed to get some more ointments for Raquel’s bruise on the neck. Palacios stayed throughout the process and was now standing in between their beds. Zulema watched as the other woman smiled sweetly at Palacios and acted all shy. She frowned in disgust.

“Well, I’m gonna leave you both to rest a while.” As he turned to leave, Raquel grabbed his hand and thanked him again, and then she closed her eyes to rest. She noticed Palacios blushed, which once again made her roll her eyes. The director turned to her and then bent down a little.

“Good job.” He whispered and then left. Although she ignored him, she knew what he meant. _Keep an eye on her._ She recalled him saying during their last meeting.

“What did he mean by good job?” Raquel suddenly asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“I thought you were asleep?” she asked in a nonchalance tone. “ And what do you think you're doing huh?” she asked, leaning her head sideways so she could take a good look at her.

“What do you mean?” Raquel questioned in return so she raised an eyebrow.

“Seducing Palacios.” She answered bluntly and then laughed. “Welcome to the club.” She said adding a whistle.

“What club?” Raquel furrowed her brows in genuine confusion.

“The one where people would do anything to get out.”

“Is that what you’re doing with the director?” Raquel said and sat up to face her properly.

“I’m past that.” She answered while looking at the white ceiling.

“Clearly not if you’re still here.” The other woman scoffed and laughed so she sat up as well and then faced her.

“Mind your own business, Oro.” She said, leaning her head forward so she could glare at the woman in front of her.

“What did you just call me?” Raquel questioned again.

“Oro.” She said then pointed at her golden brown hair. She stood up from the bed and motioned for her to scoot a little bit. Then, she sat down facing her. She caressed the bruise on her neck and said, “Whatever it is that you think you’re doing with Palacios, if you step on my business with him, we’re going to have a serious problem. And trust me, you don’t want to get on my bad side.”

“You have one hell of a reputation here.” Raquel said. “But I have nothing more to lose. And I won’t back down from anything. Even if it means getting on the bad side of El Elfo Del Puto Infierno.”

She only smirked in response. Obviously, Raquel had done her fair share of eavesdropping for her to know what everybody called her. But not enough for her to know that no one dared to speak that in front of her anymore. She watched as well how she had become close with Rizos and the others so she could assume that she already knew about the events from several years ago involving Macarena and Saray. She hoped that no one had spoken a word about her daughter, Fatima.

“Let me tell you what’s gonna to happen to you once those Chinese come back from solitary.” She stopped caressing her bruise and actually held her softly by the neck. She bent down so her mouth was touching Raquel’s right ear and then continued, “With that stunt you just pulled, you’re a dead fucking meat. And if you think Palacios will be your night and shining armor, you better think again. Because there are things that come crawling at night, that even your dear Palacios won’t see.”

“And you do?” Raquel asked so she withdrew her head from her ear and looked at her straight in the eyes and then smirked.

“I make a much better ally than opponent, Oro.” She said. But instead of getting frightened, Raquel’s face turned expressionless.

“Same here.” She declared. “If you think I don’t see your prying eyes watch every move I make, you’re gravely mistaken. So, whatever it is that you’re doing for him or whoever else you’re working for, that has something to do with me, you better think twice as well. Because you don't know anything about me and the things I’m capable of.”

“Who are you?” Zulema whispered and looked fixedly at her with her eyes wide open.

“Raquel Murillo. And I’m getting out of here. Even if it means I have to personally put you in your place in hell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Ana will finally make an appearance! Kudos and comments are appreciated. And also, follow me on twitter @TheFictionGypsy


	8. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of death, accident, regrets and all sorts of heavy angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I just want to say to whoever is still reading this story, thank you. I was a bit upset that the last chapter I uploaded didn't even get a single comment and had like 3 kudos, but oh well that's okay. So to my 3 readers, this chapter is for you!

Raquel was sitting on her bed after her day’s works. She exhaled a breath and stretched her arms and her shoulders so she could ease the burning tension of her back muscles. She then stretched her neck from side to side and then massaged her neck and her nape. She stopped when she felt a slight pain on her neck. She slid her hand at the bottom of her pillow and took the small mirror that Rizos gave her. She held it in front of her to check the bruise from around her neck. It started to heal but not fully. She put the mirror back under her pillow and looked outside from her cell. She still hasn’t seen the group of Chinese that attacked her and to be honest, she felt quite relieved. A guard appeared in front of her- blocking her view. He was answering a call from his radio and then afterwards, faced her.

“Murillo, get up. You have a visitor.”

She walked along the corridor that would lead to the visitation area with her knees trembling and her mind agitated. She wondered who could it be but deep inside, there was only one person she was meaning to see. She reached the glass windows so her eyes immediately searched the room. Her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized the old woman sitting at the corner table, tapping her fingers while waiting anxiously for her. Their eyes met just before the guard opened the gate. She could hear her heart pounding that she didn’t even pay attention to the reminders that he was telling her. “No whispering.”- that was the only thing she caught.

She watched as Ana stood up with tears already visible on her eyes. When the gate finally opened, she tried her best to maintain her composure. She reminded herself that she needed to act properly if she didn’t want this visitation to be cut short for she has so many questions that have to be answered. She walked in careful steps but she kept her gaze at the old woman. When she reached her chair, she sat down and placed her cuffed hands on the table. Ana looked at her state and finally shed tears. She remained still, her face blank and when the old woman extended her hand to hold hers, she pulled away.

“You have Paula?” she said in a serious tone to which Ana nodded while brushing away her tears.

“She’s not exactly in a good place right now. She’s still not talking. She has nightmares, Raquel. She would scream for you and she would hit me until I could wake her up and assure her that everything’s going to be okay; that her mama’s going to be okay.” Ana said in a shaky voice and she just listened, her eyes welling up with tears.

Suddenly the unfazed façade she has been keeping shattered into pieces. She looked away from the old woman as her breath stuttered. She bit her trembling lips to fight the urge to cry. However, the tears still escaped from her eyes.

“Tell her I’m sorry, for everything- for the way I handled things.” Her voiced cracked as she spoke.

“I will.” Ana held her hand, which she finally accepted. Somehow, it felt comforting. “I’m sorry it took me a long time to visit you. I asked for information about you but no one wanted to speak a word, so I had to find out for myself. I’m sure someone is watching us right now but don’t worry, I could handle it.” Ana said which made her frown- confused but not anymore surprised as to what the woman could do.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, Ana- if that’s even your real name.” She said accusingly.

“Of course it’s my real name.”

“Well forgive me, cause I thought I know you when clearly I don’t.” she snapped.

“It’s still me, hija.” Ana said in a defeated voice but continued, “And I understand that you have questions and I’m here to answer them.”

She looked at the guards if any of them were suspicious that the conversation she’s having with Ana was far from an innocent one. She knew they have to act normal, as if Ana was only asking about her condition inside, if they didn’t want to get interrupted. Convinced that they were safe enough, she turned back at Ana and nodded at her.

“Start talking.” She said in a measured tone and she noticed the other woman gulped before starting.

“It happened more than a year ago.”

Ana Martinez was a retired head nurse who got assigned on hospitals from all over Spain. She was living a peaceful retirement with her husband until his sudden passing. While on the way home from the pharmacy, her husband was hit by a car that was driven on high speed- he was dead on the spot. She took his death hard and it didn’t help that her only son was desperately trying to send her into a home, so he could take over the family house.

Every day since her husband died, she cried herself to sleep. She was lonely and depressed when one particularly hard night, someone rang her doorbell and left a package in front of her door. She didn’t expect that it would be a night of salvation. It contained a sealed brown envelope together with several bags of cash, and a letter.

“Show me the letter.” She demanded so Ana pulled out a few folded papers.

“Excuse me. What’s that?” a guard suddenly approached them, which startled her but Ana readily answered.

“Just a few drawings and letters from her little daughter.” Ana said while showing a few pages of colored drawings and then smiled. The guard nodded and went back to his post. She looked at the pages one by one, sighing as she wished those really were Paula’s drawings, until she got to the last page that was the actual letter.

_Dear Ana,_

_How are you? I hope you’re doing well and I apologize for interrupting your evening. You must be wondering who I am. I used to be a patient of yours at a hospital that I will no longer mention. I’m sure you wouldn’t even remember me but on the contrary, I did not forget about you. You were the nicest nurse that had taken care of me. You even used to lend me books so I could read to pass time._

_I’m sorry about your husband. I’m sorry about your son. It must be painful to unwillingly let go of the people you love. I know from experience. But life must not stop. So, I’m writing this letter to offer you a new start. There’s a family that I need you to look after for me. I trust you with all my heart because I had experienced first hand the generous amount of love and care that you are capable of giving. There’s a woman that I need you to lend a helping hand, because I couldn’t be there for her physically._

_I have included in this package a brown envelope of documents that you might need to use in the future and of course, money for you to start over- with them, if life would be so kind. Please only open the envelope when you feel the need to- desperately. Trust your gut and your instincts, for I trust them more than you will ever know._

_If you decide to accept my proposal, you have to pack up your things now and move into the house that I bought in your name. Time is of the essence. If you decide not to accept my proposal, I need you to burn the brown envelope and this letter into ashes. But please, either way, take the money. We owe it to you- my father and I._

_Yours truly,_

“I have no idea who sent that letter, that you’d have to believe. I never touched the money. I put it all inside a safe. The night I saw Paula in police custody, I didn’t know what else to do. Then I remembered the brown envelope that was mentioned on that letter so I looked for it and I opened it. I was also shocked when I saw our IDs, passports and other sorts of tampered documents but I used them. I had to.” Ana explained in a hushed voice. “The moment I saw you and your mother and little Paula, I knew I had to help. And I felt fulfilled when I watched you become better one step at a time. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you and Marivi, but at least I could try with Paula. And I will do the best I can to help you. You have to believe me, hija. Please, I’m so sorry I failed you.” She explained as tears started building up once more.

She could see the sincerity in the woman’s eyes and as hard as it was, for the sake of her daughter, she decided to trust her. From now on, she was Paula’s guardian angel.

“I believe you. But I need you to answer one more thing, Ana.” She said as she returned the papers.

“Ask me.”

She looked around again before leaning forward and then whispered, “Sergio Marquina. Does the name sound familiar?”

Recognition was visible on the woman’s face as she opened her mouth and shook her head in disbelief. “I- it couldn’t be young Marquina?”

“It’s him.” She said and leaned back on her chair.

“I will find him then. I will ask for his help to get you out of here.”

“No.” she said in a firm voice. “He’s a coward. He is weak. And he has done enough.”

“Hija…”

“From now on, I want you to focus on Paula. Take her somewhere. Take her-” she sucked a breath at the thought of her daughter going somewhere far but she continued,

“In Paris. She always wanted to go in Paris.” She smiled sadly as she set aside her grief and understood the things that had to be done. “Don’t visit me again, don’t you ever come back here. I will take care of myself. We are not depending our lives anymore to some sick weakling who couldn’t do shit by himself.”

“What are you planning to do?” Ana asked with a scared look on her face.

“It’s better if you don't know anything. What I need to hear is if you’re with me.” She said as she opened her hands to her. Without a second thought, Ana placed her hand on hers and intertwined their fingers.

“I’m with you.” She said. “And one more thing. I found this inside your closet when I was cleaning your things up and I noticed something at the back. Does this mean anything to you?”

She frowned at the long forgotten postcards from Sergio that Ana retrieved from her bag. She placed them on the table and arranged them with the back part facing her until a figure appeared that made her gasp.

_“Let’s see. How about we choose it together?” she said smiling, as she held the postcards in front of him. “Pick one.”_

_He playfully circled his finger at the cards before he touched one card, and then pulled it out. He looked at it and then smiled at her._

_“Palawan.”_

She closed her eyes at the dusting memory of him. She sighed at the memory of her- the one where she was happy. She opened her eyes again and stared at the coordinates to memorize them. Then, she turned to Ana with sharp but lonely eyes.

“Hide those. No one else must see.”

***

Zulema sat bored at the chair in front of Director Palacios’ table. She was called in his office for a “meeting” with regards to another police operation that necessitated her participation. She almost hissed at Palacios when he asked for her help yet again, remembering how their last conversation went. She needed to make a good deal- a sure deal, this time.

“Buenos Dias.” A man barged into the office, which made Palacios abruptly stand up. She on the other hand, remained seated as she turned her head at the old man wearing some neat clothing, whose attention was solely on his phone- even as he walked.

“Buenos Dias, Colonel.” Palacios greeted. He motioned for her to stand up so she did. But not before sighing and rolling her eyes.

“Zulema, this is Colonel Prieto from the CNI. Colonel, this is Zulema Zahir.” She raised a hand on her forehead and offered a lousy salute, which made Colonel Prieto raised an eyebrow at her and then at Palacios. He looked around the office and then at the chair Palacios was offering him but he remained standing.

“I’ve read your profile. Quite some help you had given the police. Now, I don’t want to waste any more of my time so I’ll get straight to the point. You have 3 more years left in your sentence, yes?” he said in an authoritative tone. She nodded as a response to his question then he continued speaking.

“Extract some valuable information from Raquel Murillo about a certain Sergio Marquina or Professor- his location or anything that would lead us to him, and you will walk straight out those prison gates- as a free woman.” He added, finally putting his phone down.

“Who’s Professor?” she asked genuinely intrigued.

“A high-profile criminal whom Murillo helped escape- that’s all you need to know.” Prieto replied. She laughed in response, already thinking about the impossibility of what they’re asking, especially if she has to interact with Raquel to get information. From the few months Raquel had spent here, she realized that the woman was as sharp as a blade.

“You’re gonna have to give me more information than that.” She said to Prieto as her laugh died down.

“Unfortunately, you’re gonna have to work on that information alone.” Prieto insisted so she raised a finger.

“Answer this for me, will you? Who’s Raquel Murillo? What did she do? Cause I don’t think being an accessory to an escape would lead her to the highest maximum facility in Spain. Do enlighten me.” She smirked. However this time, it was Prieto who laughed. Palacios moved awkwardly, not able to keep up with the tension the two people in front of him were exuding.

“Oh she didn’t get sentenced because of that, she was actually relieved from all the cases against her that related her with the Professor. But, she did murder her ex-husband and her own mother in front of their 9 year-old daughter.” The smirk on her lips was instantly wiped off and she pursed her lips into thin line. Raquel kept surprising her as the days go by. The new information was something unexpected and the change of mood didn’t go unnoticed by the colonel.

“I hope you’re as good as Director Palacios here had endorsed. See you again in a week or two.” He finished up and turned his back on them. Her mind snapped back into reality and remembered that she needed to make a sure deal.

“Colonel! I want it in writing- the agreement.” She said as the colonel turned around to face her. She could hear Palacios reprimanding her in a hiss but she didn’t mind. She was done making deals with Palacios. It was time to build rapport with someone who has more authority and power.

“Of course.” Prieto said and then left.

***

  
The next day, after her duties, Raquel went straight to the small library and rummaged through the shelves for geography and other kinds of books. She found an empty table in the middle of the room and sat down. She looked around to check if no one minded her and then picked up the geography book that she took and opened it. She turned past the first few pages and then stopped at the Table of Content. She slid down her index finger along the content, looking for something familiar and then stopped when she read _“Las Filipinas”_.

She turned the pages hurriedly until she was at her desired page. Now she was looking at the Philippine map. She read the names of the 3 main islands with her eyes- Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. She touched it and took a deep breath. She couldn’t help but imagined what could have been her life if only she saw those coordinates. She closed her eyes and thought of the sun, the humid air, the waves of the ocean, and the sand from the beach. She felt a throbbing pain in her heart so she opened her eyes and cleared her mind. She moved her fingers softly along the surface of the page until her fingers brought her to the image of the long, narrow island separate from the entire Philippine archipelago.

“Palawan.” She whispered.

_“Sooner or later, this will end. And you and I will meet on a beach.”_

All of a sudden, her chest tightened and her throat went dry. She leaned back on her chair and massaged her chest. She didn’t realize that she was already crying. She put a hand on her mouth to muffle the sobs- and eventually the pain and the sorrow of her growing realization that she could’ve been happy. If only life was slightly kind enough to her- just a little bit kind, she wouldn’t have missed her chance to happiness. But instead, it decided to dump every misfortune that there was on her, all at once- crushing her entire being.

For every unfulfilled possibility of her life with Sergio, she suffered the worst leaving her damaged and frail. For all the times she could’ve woken up from his soft kisses on her shoulders- she got up every morning, disgusted at herself because she had to face Alberto. For all the table conversations she could’ve enjoyed with her family, while feeling the evening breeze- she had endured her ex-husband’s abuses, for an hour of silent conversations with her daughter. For all the sunsets that she could’ve spent walking along the beach, holding his hand- she walked along the cold metal gates of the prison cells, her life constantly in danger. She felt her heart ached after a long time of senselessness so she released the sobs that she tried to hide, not caring if anyone would see or mind.

If only Sergio decided that leaving her some damn postcards wasn’t enough and actually came back for her, they could’ve had a chance at life. If only he was brave enough to show himself to her, she would’ve followed him. She would’ve taken his hand, held it tight and never let go. But no, he decided that the postcards were enough and let her do the rest of the work, as if her life hadn’t changed a single bit the moment she let him and his gang escaped.

She had done so many regretful things in her life and she blamed no one of her actions. But this one- she was convinced that this one was on him. She once said to herself that feeling is dangerous so she deprived herself of emotion. When Alberto made her feel again- a supreme amount of rage, she ended up shooting him. And now she was willing to push it. She’s going to get back at the Professor, no matter what it would cost.

***  
  


More than 7 thousand miles away from Spain, one of the many burner phones inside a drawer suddenly rang. The man sitting on the table halted whatever it was he was doing and opened the drawer- looking at the phones with fear on his eyes. It was not meant to ring for a long time, if not forever. He picked up the one that was ringing and answered it without uttering a breath.

“Professor.” The man on the other line spoke, so he closed his eyes shut and controlled his breathing. Due to the nervousness he felt, he forgot that each phone on that drawer had a name labeled on the back so he would immediately know who was in trouble.

“We have a problem. She’s in prison.” The man spoke once again. Upon hearing that, he removed the phone from his ear and slowly turned it around not wanting to find out who among his team got caught. His face turned pale and his heart stopped beating. Suddenly the phone fell from his grasp- the label was Raquel Murillo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave something on the comment section if you feel like it. I'd surely appreciate that. :)


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